The Robert M. Greer Center was facing over $500,000 in fines for failing to protect clients from threats to their safety. But the state decided to instead hire a consulting company to suggest changes at the facility.
The city of Vinita is facing a lawsuit filed Monday seeking an injunction and court ruling against the city’s recently passed emergency ordinance related to the coronavirus pandemic.
The facility’s “Phase Policy” required offenders’ cells to be locked even if the prisoner was not inside the cell. The policy was criticized in the Inspector General’s report by both prisoners and staff members who responded to the incident, who said the locked doors prevented them from immediately locking down prisoners on the unit.
Internal DOC documents allege that prison officials violated state corrections policy by intentionally destroying audio and video surrounding the event, and heightened danger faced by prisoners and responding staff by requiring cell doors be locked at all times.
Rob Night recounts the success and failures of his two-and-a-half-year tenure as chief public defender, and decries the state’s “broken” criminal justice justice system.
Newborn screening identifies rare diseases that can cause disability, death or serious health issues if not treated quickly. Dozens of Oklahoma hospitals are failing to send tests to the state lab in a timely manner.
The Cimarron Correctional Facility has had several violent incidents over the past several years, including a unit-wide riot in 2013 and at least two riots in 2015.
A 2011 law dissolved the Oklahoma Human Rights Commission and transferred its duties and $500,000 budget to Attorney General Scott Pruitt. Since then, he’s cut the staff in half and filed just three discrimination cases in court. His office also has not provided a report on racial profiling to the governor’s office, as required by state law.
